Bottle-conveyer.



A. H. SCHMEDTJE.

BOTTLE CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3. 1911.

1,1 61,893. Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. H. SCHMEDTJE.

BOTTLE CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-3.1911.

Patented Nov; 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQE.

ADOLPH H. SCHMEDTJE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LIQUID CARBONIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BOTTLE-CONVEYER.

Application filed January 3, 1911.

. the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in bottle conveyers, the object of my invention being to construct a conveyer which will antomatically and accurately feed bottles, one at a time, to the pockets of rotating bottle carriers in such machines as filling, capping and labeling machines, the conveyer being arranged in such manner as to move the bot tles toward the said rotating carriers and permit the bottles at any time to recede so that they will not be broken or crushed.

A further and more specific object of my invention is to construct a bottle conveyer in which there is a guideway and means for moving bottles in the guide way, and also a rotating disk mounted beneath the guide way upon which the bottles may have a movement different from their movement in the balance of the guide way.

IVith the above purposes in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan showing conveyers of my improved construction, one of which leads to the bottle filling machine and the other extends between the bottle filling machine and a capping machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the conveyers shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail plan of portions of a bottle filling and capping machine showing portions of my improved conveyers leading to and from said machines.

Referring bynumerals to the accompanying drawings: 1 designates the rotatable carrier of a bottle filling machine and 2 designates the base portion of the receiving pockets, which arecarried by the carrier 1.

3 designates an upright projecting upwardly from each base and supporting the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 30, 1915.

Serial No. 600,517.

bottle stops 4, which are substantially segmental shape and arranged to partially embrace a bottle resting upon the base 2.

The base 2, in outline, is substantially U- shape and its margin, from the upright 3, is provided with an upwardly. projecting wall 5 which walls serve as guides to direct the bottles to Test against the stop :i. A portion of the walls 5 conforms with the segmental stops 4, but from the stops the walls flare outwardly, the wall of one base'2 extending to nearly meet the end of an adjacent wall so that the meeting ends form an angle to offer as little resistance as posssible to the entry of the bottles into the pockets.

6 designates a platform, the margin of which, next adjacent the carrier 1 of the filling machine, is shaped to conform with the carrier, and 7 designates a circular opening formed in the platform G'adjacent the margin lying next to the carrier. In the opening 7 there is mounted for rotation a table 8, the upper face of which is in the plane of the upper face of the platform 6 so that bottles may readily travel over the platform 6 and table 8.

9 designates an endless belt conveyer, one

edge of which lies close to the platform Gandthe upper face of which lies in the same hori- Zontal plane therewith so that bottles, carried by the belt conveyer, may travel from the belt to the platform 6. At the end of the belt, opposite the filling machine the bottles are placed, as shown in Fig. 1, by

hand'and in irregular order. In this connection it is not essential that the bottles be placed in irregular order nor is it essential that they be supplied in regular order, they need only be supplied there. Adjacent ,the supplying end of the belt there are a number of channel ways 10 into which the bottles are drawn by the moving belt, as shown in Fig. 1.

ll designates a channel way or bottle guide arranged over the top of belt 9, platform 6 and rotating table 8 and terminating adjacent the bottle carrier 1 of the filling machine.

12 designates a channel way or guide which is hingedly connected to the guide 11 so that it may be swung to positions to receive bottles from either. of the channel ways 10.

As shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the free ends of the walls of bottle guide 12 are connected by a member 13 looped around and beneath the belt and constituting a handle for the manipulation of the guide and a stop to prevent the bottles in the channel ways 10 not in register with the guide 12 from moving with the belt. The member 13 also serves as a means for holding the guide 12 in position registering with one of the channel ways 10. This holding is accomplished by reason of its frictional engagen'ient with the L-shaped belt supports 1 1.

15 designates a wiper which is pivotally supported above the platform 6 and spring actuated to force the bottles to positions against the bottle stops 4 where they will be in positions to register with the bottle filling devices, not shown.

The bottles carried by the carrier 1 after being filled are carried around almost to the feeding point where they are removed from the carrier by a spring-actuated wiper 16. This wiper is pivotally mounted upon a vertical shaft 17 around which is coiled a spring, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, which normally holds the wiper 16 in a position to engage and eject the bottles from the carrier 1. If, however, for any reason, the carrier presents an obstruction the wiper 16 yields to prevent damage to the machine. An arm 18 projects laterally from the wiper 16 and is attached to one end of a rack bar 19 with which eo-acts a dog 20 for holding the rack bar and wiper out of the path of the travel of the bottle carrier after the wiper has been struck thereby until manually released.

21 designates a platform which extends from the ejecting point of the bottle filling machine to the rotating carrier 22, of a capping or crown stopper machine, and may be a continuation or an integralpart of the platform 6. g The rotating carrier 22, referred to, is of a common type having vertically movable bases 23 which receive bottles. Each of the bases 23 is provided with a segmental bottle stop 24, and fixed to each stop is a bottle guide 25, extending between each pair of bases, which inclines relatively to a line drawn parallel with the periphery of the carrier 22 and which forms a continuation of the stops 24:. Arranged adjacent the rotating carrier 22 1s a. rotating table 26, the upper face of which is in the same horizontal plane as the platform 21 and the carrier 22 so that bottles may readily pass over the platform 21, table 26 and on to the carrieri22.

To direct the bottles from the ejecting P0111601: the carrier 1, of the bottle filling machine, to the rotating table 26 and from thence to the rotating carrier 22, of the capping machine, there are guides 27. The table 26 is preferably supported from be neath the platform 21 and receives motion preferably by bevel gearing such as 28 in connection with the vertical, rotating standard 29 of the bottle capping machine.

30 designates a wiper, similar to the wiper 15, which wiper 30 is arranged to force the bottles against the bottle stops 2% of the capping machine. The bottles delivered to the carrier 22 are each capped by a means not shown, and, after being capped, are ejected from the machine.

In the operation of the machine, to obtain the best results, the tables 8 and 26 should have peripheral speeds greater than the peripheral speeds of the bottle carriers 1 and 22.

It is to be observed that the table 26 has a positive drive and that the table 8 has no positive drive but, owing to the fact that the belt 9 has a linear speed greater than the peripheral speed of the carrier 1, the table 8 is rotated at a speed slightly in excess of the carrier 1.

By reason of the increased speeds of the tables 8 and 26 the bottles are accurately and successively supplied to each individual bottle receiver upon the carriers 1 and 22.

As clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the bottles driven by the belt, at a linear speed in excess of the peripheral speed of the carrier, are forced upon the bases 2 and so long as there is neither a bottle on the carrier, nor a portion of the surrounding wall of the base 2, to oppose the travel of the bottles, they will be advanced.

Due to the difference in speed of rotation between the carriers 1 and 22 the bottles, in the guides 27 between the filling machine and the capping machine, travel practically at the rate of speed of rotation of the carrier 1 which is a speed less than the speed of rotation of the carrier 22, hence it is necessary that the table 26 be driven positively so as to get a peripheral speed in excessof the carrier 22.

In the practical operation of the machine, the bottles are supplied, by hand, tothe belt 9, are carried by the belt into the various guide ways 10, with one of the guide ways in communication with the movable guides 12 which supplies the guides 11 extending to the filling machine. "After the supply of the one guide way 10 is exhausted the operator shifts the guide 12 to another of the guide ways 10, the member 13 acting as a stop for the guide ways, except the one in communication with the guide ways 12. The bottles, traveling over the platform 6 and rotating table 8, are forced upon the bases 2 in the carrier 1 and, by the wiper 15, are

set to positions firmly against the stops 4,

where they will be in positions to register with the filling devices, not shown. The bottles are carried by the carrier 1 almost a full revolution, during which revolution they are filled with a liquid. Each bottle is then removed or ejected in a common manner from the carrier 1 into the guides 27 upon the platform 21 which extends to the capping machine. The bottles receive their motion over the platform 21 by contact with each other and are driven by the bottles ejected from the carrier 1. The bottles are successively forced on to the table 26 and, due to the fact that the table 26 rotates at a greater speed than the carrier 22, are forced upon the bases 23 of the carrier 22, and the spring actuated wiper 30 serves to firmly seat each bottle against the bottle stops 2&.

Itwill be obvious that, by such a construction of bottle feeding apparatus, the bottles need only be manually handled at the supplying end of the belt 9.

It is to be particularly observed that in each type of conveyer shown, whether the disk or rotating table be driven solely by the bottles or whether it is positively driven,

the column of bottles may recede in the event the machine to be supplied is not open or in position to receive bottles. It is also particularly to be observed that the bottles are moved solely by reason of their engagement with a moving surface, and that there are no positive means for moving, forcing or driving the bottles into the rotating carriers.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a moving table having a series of receiving pockets along its outer edge open at their outer sides, a stationary support, a continuously moving support closely adjacent and in the plane of said table and stationary support and positively driven, an idle rotary support adjacent said stationary support and said table and guides extending over said driven and stationary supports and over said idle support, the driven support moving at a higher rate of speed than the peripheral speed of said table.

2. In a machine of the class described in combination with a table having a series of pockets along its edge opening outwardly with respect thereto, a stationary support,

a movable support in the plane of said table, a pair of guides extending over said movable and stationary supports, said movable support adapted to feed receptacles between said guides and over the stationary support, and a second movable support adjacent said table adapted to receive receptacles from the stationary support and feed them to said table. I

' 3.'In a machine of the class described in combination with a table and a series of pockets along the edge thereof opening outwardly with respect thereto, a stationary support substantially in the plane of said table, a continuously driven support substantially in the plane of said table, a pair of guides extending over said movable and stationary supports, said movable support adapted to feed receptacles between said guides and over the stationary support, and a rotary disk adjacent said table and adapted to receive receptacles from the stationary support and feed them to said table.

4:. In amachine of the class described in combination with a table and a series .of pockets along the edge thereof opening outwardly with respect thereto, a stationary support substantially in the plane of said table, a continuously driven support substantially in the plane of said table, a pair of guides extending over sa d movable and stationary supports, said movable support adapted to feed receptacles between said guides and over the stationary support, and an idle rotary disk adjacent said table and adapted to receive receptacles from the stationary support and feed them to said table.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADOLPH H. SGHMEDTJE.

Witnesses EDWARD E. LONGAN,

E. L. WALLACE. 

